The field of the present invention is lighting fixtures.
Outdoor lighting is often provided around gardens, yards, swimming pools, etc., with a low voltage lighting system. The system generally includes a step down transformer for reducing the 110 AC line voltage to 12 volts, a buried or surface power cable, and a number of lighting fixtures connected along the cable.
Existing fixtures typically involve one or more disadvantages. Fixtures made of plastic or corrosive metal have a limited life in outdoor use. In addition, they are often constructed so that the power cable leaves the ground, loops outside the fixture into one side of the lamp compartment, and then out of the other side and back to the ground. This configuration results in an aesthetically displeasing appearance due to the very visible power cable. Moreover, lighting fixtures made out of plastic materials must use very low wattage incandescent lamps, due to temperature limitations on the plastic material, and thus these fixtures put out very little light.
Furthermore, in some existing fixtures, electrical contact with the conductors in a rectangular cable is made by driving two sharp spikes into the wide sides of the cable. These spikes enter the cable from the wide edges and are staggered as they enter their respective conductor. While this configuration is simple in concept, proper electrical contact often is not made due to variations in the dimensions of the cable, and misalignment of the cable in relation to the spikes. In addition, outdoor lighting fixtures for home use often involve many parts and fasteners making assembly by an unskilled homeowner difficult.